Frequently Asked Questions

Midwives are not Doulas. 

Midwives are medical professionals with a trained specialty in maternity care. They are also trained in complications and emergency situations, knowledgeable about when seeking a higher level of care is appropriate. Many Midwives, including myself, have gone through several years of extensive hands-on training and schooling in order to be prepared in both normal and emergent situations. Homebirth Midwives provide in-depth prenatal care as your maternity care provider, and offer intermittent monitoring to verify the well-being of your baby throughout labor. They are able to provide insight during labor, take your vitals, and can also complete cervical exams if you are interested in them. They give you the space you need to labor and help catch your baby when they are born. After you are settled, your Midwife will look over your baby and complete a full newborn exam, and then continue to support you and your baby during your postpartum recovery.

Doulas are a birth support person. They are skilled in the birth setting and often have tips or tricks to help keep your comfortable and encourage your baby Earth-side. Most Doulas have gone through some form of Doula training, and have attended several births. They live and breathe labor and birth, and are very comfortable with it. Doulas do not take the place of your partner or other support people, but rather help amplify those there to support you. They may offer a cold washcloth during transition, offer counterpressure during contractions, refill your beverages, or bring you snacks to munch on. They are your advocate and extra set of hands. Sometimes they arrive during the early stages of labor, before your midwife (or before it is time to leave for the hospital, if you are planning a hospital birth), and they stay present until after the birth of your baby and until you are settled. Doulas do not provide any medical assistance, complete cervical exams, take vitals, etc. 

As a Community Midwife, I support natural births that are planned to occur within the home setting. 

I also offer all of the supplies that would be needed for a waterbirth, if you're interested in that. My fee covers the birth pool, liner, hose, and all of the other equipment for a waterbirth. All you have to do is supply the water and a place to set up the pool. 

I began my journey with birth in January of 2021, after having my own homebirth in January of 2020. First, I started out as a doula, attending both hospital births and planned homebirths, with the intentions of becoming a homebirth midwife. While working as a doula, I applied for and started midwifery school and worked under a midwife who was my preceptor to attend the required births needed to fulfill my training. She was able to provide me with a lot of clinical experiences, and teach me the hands-on aspect of midwifery. I completed my midwifery school training through The Midwives College of Utah in August of 2024, earning my BSM. In November of 2024, I sat for and completed the NARM exam, which is the credentialing exam for Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). Currently, I am persuing my Masters Degree in Midwifery, and hope to graduate in 2026.

As of November 2024, I have attended a total of around 80 births, with the majority being homebirths.

I enjoy lots of things! 

I'm a Christian, and enjoy spending time in God's Word and teaching my children biblical principles. I also enjoy spending time in my garden and growing things that we can preserve through canning. I'm also a homeschooling mama, plant enthusiast, and a resourceful composter and recycler of new-to-me things. I consider myself to be mostly "crunchy," but I also hit up the drive-thrus when I'm on the road. And in my free-time, I'm usually either reading, researching the most current maternity science articles, or catching up on sleep.

My midwifery package is available using a sliding scale. While there is a discount for paying for services in full at the time of hire, it is not expected and I do offer bi-weekly or monthly payment arrangements. The full fee is expected at or before 36 weeks of pregnancy. This ensures that Homebirth Midwifery care is available to all income brackets. More information about what this entails can be found under Services.

Most insurance plans do not cover homebirth in Ohio at this time. However, I am able to provide you with an invoice once the balance has been paid in full that can be given to your insurance company or a biller to request reimbursement through the insurance company. They may or may not reimburse you.

*Christian Health Ministries and Samaritan Health are anomalies that will usually pay for a homebirth midwife. 

Most vaginal lacerations are able to be sutured at home, though they are less likely to occur in the home setting. Very occasionally, significant lacerations may require transport to the hospital to be repaired if the tear would impact the function of the vagina or bowel movements.

Yes-- My midwifery training has prepared me for managing emergent situations including resuscitation, hemorrhage, dehydration, as well as knowing when to seek a higher level of care for these things and other pregnancy, labor/birth, and postpartum complications. 

Yes--My midwifery practice provides each client with their own electronic health record. In it, there are records for each prenatal visit, birth records, postpartum records, informed consent forms that we will discuss together throughout care, educational materials, and more. This charting system is HIPAA compliant.

Yes-- I am able to order any lab work that is desired for your pregnancy. While I do not personally perform diagnostic ultrasounds, I am able to refer you to providers that will perform your ultrasounds without a significant financial burden to you, whether that be a dating scan, a gender reveal scan, or an anatomy scan at 20 weeks.

I generally serve areas that are within approximately 60 minutes of Dayton, OH. If you are unsure if I serve your area, please submit a contact request form! 

I will take care of making sure that all of the documents are in order for your baby's birth certificate. After it has been filed out and signed, you are only responsible for having it filed. This is a simple process, and I will provide all of the directions that you need at the postpartum visit when we take care of the birth certificate paperwork.